Women's Basketball

Gauchos Rout Bakersfield, 79-51

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -
Following a series of rain in the area, a perfect storm came together for the UC Santa Barbara women's basketball team on Sunday afternoon. And, the only thing that was dropping around UCSB were baskets by the Gauchos.

UCSB shot 59.3% and routed Cal State Bakersfield, 79-51 for the Gauchos' second straight victory. It was the team's highest scoring output since Jan. 5, 2008. The Gauchos shot an incredible 70.8% in the first half.

The Gauchos (3-5 overall) held the Roadrunners (4-5) to just 29.3% shooting from the field and outrebounded Cal State Bakersfield, 40-32. Bakersfield also had just three assists.

"We're really proud of our defense," UCSB head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. "It was a point of emphasis to hold them under 70 points. I thought we came out with a tough mentality. Early in the year we tried to get that mentality and now we have it."

Late arrivers to the Thunderdome missed out on UCSB's offensive explosion. Trailing 8-5 with 15:44 to go in the first half, the Gauchos finished the half on a 40-11 run. It didn't stop at halftime. UCSB opened the second half on a quick 7-2 spurt and kept its lead in the 30-point range for most of the second stanza.

The Gauchos led by as many as 39 after Underwood sank a free throw, part of her career-high 12 points. The freshman also had five rebounds. Chris Spencer's eight boards led the team while Margaret Johnson had seven.

Men's and women's basketball single game tickets are now on sale. You can purchase tickets by calling (805) 893-UCSB, visiting the Ticket Office located inside the Intercollegiate Athletics Building on campus or to buy online and print at home, click here. There is also a 2-for-1 coupon online at PresidioSports.com. Just look on the bottom right of the home page!

The Intercollegiate Athletics Ticket Office now has two parking spaces adjacent to the building and is now open on Saturdays, making it easier than ever for fans to purchase tickets. The ICA Ticket Office will be open from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm on Saturdays. The two parking spots, designated specifically for the ticket office, are already available during weekday hours, which are 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

UCSB Athletics has a new weekly radio show called Talk'n Gauchos which airs every Tuesday from 6-7 p.m. on AM 1490 KIST. The show is broadcast live from State & A Bar and Grill, located on the corner of State Street and Anapamu Street in Santa Barbara. Fans are encouraged to attend the show for free gear and ticket giveaways or to even e-mail a question in to one of the guests and have it read live over the air. The show also airs live online via audio streaming and fans can click here to check out the entire lineup of live audio streaming online.

All men's and women's basketball games will be broadcast live on AM 1490 and AM 990 again this year, and those games will also be available online by clicking here.. And, UCSB Athletics is proud to announce that the baseball team will have over 20 games broadcast live on the air and through our website.